The Coach House, a replica Log Cabin, the 1882 home of F.W. Muller and the 1908 Banta House tell the story of Arlington Heights over the last 150 years. Tour guides introduce you to the life of early residents. Tours: Sat. & Sun. 2pm & 3pm Heritage Gallery & Gift Shop: Fri.-Sun. 1:30pm-4:30pm

The Berwyn Route 66 Museum is not quite what you might be expecting. Aside from hundreds of Route 66 related artifacts, there's also a wall of art hubcaps, a bell from the original LaVergne School that predates Route 66, an electric vehicle charging station in front of the museum. The museum also provides gallery space for the Berwyn Arts Council. Several times every year the Museum hosts shows for area artists. In addition, the Museum has several ongoing restoration projects including cars from the Spindle Sculpture that appeared in Cermak Plaza from 1989 until 2008.

The City of Berwyn has placed four exhibits on Ogden Avenue to educate travelers, tourists, and residents about Berwyn's heritage as one of the first eastern suburban communities along Historic Route 66. Berwyn's four exhibits feature the origin of the Ogden corridor and its early history, its first auto-oriented "fast food" restaurants, and its automobile-based economy and car culture. Visit our Information Kiosk for more information!

The Big Ten Experience features a collection of 13 interactive exhibits showcasing conference notables dating back to 1896, the year the conference was founded. Highlights include the Big Ten Theater which gives patrons a behind-the-scenes, immersive audio and video experience looking at student-athletes and traditions, along with radio and television features of notable accomplishments on and off the field of play.

This museum located on the campus of Wheaton College is devoted to the history of Christian evangelism and its influences on society. View rare artifacts, art and displays that include a powerful 3-D presentation of the gospel message.

Go on a one of a kind country adventure you'll never forget! Become pioneers for a day on a real 1800s farm and village. Miniature train rides, pony rides, petting zoo, pioneer craft demonstrations, and special events. In the Discovery Barn see chickens, sheep, piglets, baby goats and more.

The Bliss House Museum is operated by the Sugar Grove Historical Society and houses historical exhibits about the village of Sugar Grove and surrounding area. Anyone interested in researching their heritage, may contact the museum for access to probate and civil records dating 1839 - 1955.
Hours:
Open every Tuesday 1-4 pm or by appointment.

DuPage County, Chicago’s Western Suburbs - Set among mature oak and hickory trees, lakes & streams, this full-service event facility with 27 holes of golf offers both 18 and 9-hole play and is nationally recognized as one of the best public courses in America. Cantigny Golf is a part of the McCormick Foundation, committed to making life better for our children, communities and country. As one of the nation’s largest public charities, we’ve granted more than $1 billion to organizations in local communities across the country. The golf course is part of the historic 500-acre Cantigny Park, where memorable family experiences happen. The grounds include museums, formal gardens and picnic areas.

Museum and education center highlighting our nation's social heritage through captivating exhibits and programs. Stories of the 1915 Eastland Disaster, and experience life on the run following the Underground Railroad.

One of Oak Park's finest showplaces, the 12,000 sq. foot, 1913 mansion is located in the Historic District. Reminiscent of a gracious English country home and surrounded by 2 acres of beautiful gardens, a greenhouse and coach house.
It is available for private and corporate event rentals.

The Bedford Park Heritage Corridor Visitor Center is full of information and literature of exciting things to do and see throughout the Heritage Corridor. The Visitor Center provides National Heritage Corridor promotional literature and I&M Canal related resources to the public. It is operated by the Civic Center Authority in partnership with Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Village of Willow Springs. The Center is staffed by volunteers recruited and managed by the Civic Center Authority. Open Saturday 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM.

DuPage County, Chicago’s Western Suburbs - Highlights the history and culture of the Czech Republic and Slovakia through authentic folk costumes, lead crystal, chain, ceramics, embroidery, and historical displays. Donations welcome.

The Aurora Public Art Commission hosts rotating exhibits displaying a full spectrum of innovative arts. The History Center has a collection of photographs, books, maps and other memorabilia. The Museum Shop offers hand-crafted jewelry, pottery and textiles from local artists and Aurora-themed gifts.

DuPage County, Chicago’s Western Suburbs - Located in a three-story atrium, renovated in 2000, visitors learn of the stories, accomplishments and lives of famous DuPage citizens portrayed through memorabilia and photo panels.

The Elk Grove Historical Museum provides a look at pioneer living from the mid 19th to early 20th century. The Museum specializes in the history of the Elk Grove and its development over time. Open year round, the Museum offers tours, educational programs, exhibits, and assistance with research on Elk Grove Village and the surrounding area.

DuPage County, Chicago’s Western Suburbs - This prize-winning museum features changing interpretive exhibits on Elmhurst history as well as national touring exhibits. Programs for children, families and adults throughout the year. The Elmhurst Historical Museum is located in a historically significant structure known as the Glos Mansion, which is the former home of Elmhurst's first village president, Henry L. Glos, and his wife, Lucy.

The museum displays rare photos of Hemingway, his childhood diary, letters, early writings and other memorabilia. The Birthplace Home features some original furniture and belongings of the Hemingway family.

Created by Colonel and Mrs. George Fabyan, who lived on the 600-acre estate from 1905 to the 1930s, the estate includes a restored villa with diverse collections, a Japanese garden and a Dutch windmill.

The Fabyan Villa Museum, a 1907 Frank Lloyd Wright redesign, is located in the Fabyan Forest Preserve. It houses unique natural and Oriental artifacts from the collection of Colonel George and Nelle Fabyan.

An authentic, five-story (68 feet) working Dutch windmill located on the Fox River Trail. Built in the 1850's by two German craftsmen and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Volunteer millers serve as docents on the weekends. The Fabyan Windmill is open weekends, May 15 – October 15, from 1-4 p.m. Private tours are also available by appointment.

The Bensenville Park District and the DuPage County Forest Preserve have been working to restore this property and land. Fischer Farm is believed to be one of the oldest remaining homesteads in the county. Explore the buildings, touch the artifacts, and connect with history.

Take a guided or self-guided tour of this historic district that contains the world's greatest concentration of Wright-designed structures built in the Prairie School of Architecture style. Tours are offered daily.

Unity Temple, Frank Lloyd Wright's modern masterpiece, celebrated the centennial of its dedication in 2009. Unity Temple is an icon of modern architecture and a destination for tens of thousands of visitors each year, and is famous for its brilliant use of light and space. One of the most complex and exciting buildings in 20th century architecture, it was Wright's first public commission and is the only surviving public building from his golden Prairie period.
Available for your extraordinary special event.

The Garfield Farm Museum is an 1840s living history farm featuring the story of the Garfield family, the Brick Tavern & Inn, restored barns, heirloom gardens, rare farm animals, restored prairie and more.

The Gladys Fox Museum is located in the beautifully restored Old Congregational Church, which is the oldest surviving building of its type in Illinois. The building was constructed in 1840 of native limestone on land donated by the Illinois & Michigan.

Discover Geneva's historic districts - from the refurbished downtown storefronts to the dozens of treasured Third Street Victorian homes that now house over 100 unique specialty shops and quaint eateries.

The area's rich heritage is celebrated at the Historical Society through exhibits, lectures and special programs on the second floor of Historic Pleasant Home. The museum includes a research center, children's activity room and changing exhibits on fashion and area history. Special exhibits focus on Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan, and the 'Roots of Oak Park,' a celebration of nineteenth century Oak Park.

The Itasca Historical Museum was the original Itasca Train Depot built in 1873. A 1939 Milwaukee Road Rib-side Caboose numbered 01839 was acquired and restored to its original bright orange appearance with all new doors, windows and wood interior. Kids love the interactive train display in the Depot which looks like Itasca in the late 1800’s with bells and whistles. Open Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11am-4pm and the 1st and 2nd Saturdays each month from 9am-2pm.

Located on the Jacob Henry Mansion Estate, guests are greeted with our famous family hospitality, homemade meals and heartwarming musical productions. Lunch matinees and dinner shows are complimented by itineraries that include tours of our other historic properties, or excursions into Joliet's vibrant downtown. The Jacob Henry Mansion Estate Dinner Theatre welcomes groups with onsite motorcoach parking and handicap accessibilty.

Travel through time and space! Walk through a replica of the I & M Canal, window shop on a turn-of-the-century street, take a virtual ride on a replica trolley, live the legend of Route 66, land on the moon in a walk-in simulator, and experience space exploration and the Apollo missions. Temporary exhibits change often in our Special Exhibition Gallery. There's always family fun in our discovery room, and remember your visit with a souvenir from our Gift Shop.

Joliet Iron Works Historic Site features 0.59 mile of paved trail that provides a self-guided interpretive tour of the site's historical significance. Take a free, naturalist-led tour of blast furnace ruins. Reservations are required.

Once you arrive, a huge steel and barbed wire entry sign will beckon you into a park unlike any other. Information kiosks on site offer an insight into the prison’s past and inmate history, as well as the famous films that have been shot here.

Dating back to 1855, the chapel is Kendall County's oldest church building, adorned with stained glass windows and a restored 1899 pipe organ. The adjacent hall houses local artifacts, including photographs and clothing.

Dedicated on February 12, 2009, Lincoln Landing is Lockport's newest attraction. This park, located on the original Public Landing platted as a dock area by Canal Commissioners in 1836, features a unique bronze statue of a young Abraham Lincoln created by artist David Ostro. Interpretive signage through the park highlights the history of the I&M Canal, its impact on the Lockport community, and Lincoln's connections to both. This open-air museum is self-guiding, but is enhanced by a website with school lesson plans.

This Victorian home features rooms furnished with artifacts exemplifying the lifestyle of the emerging middle-class during the 1870s. Group tours welcome seven days a week with reservations, based on availability. Admission free.

Features 15 historic buildings that trace the history of Kendall County plus an 1819 Chicago Burlington & Quincy caboose, a fully-stocked general store, an 1840s schoolhouse, town hall, a working blacksmith shop, the Plano Train Depot, (c. 1850s) and Yorkville Firehouse (c. 1888).

This museum is a replica of the first McDonald's restaurant opened by Ray Kroc on April 15, 1955. View an array of memorabilia, from the original kitchen equipment to the 1950s classic cars parked on site.

Native American Office and Cultural Center. Experience Indigenous cultures through lectures, cultural presentations, educational programs, Save the Bison Project, and the Annual Harvest PowWow. Call for information or visit our website for a calendar of events. Group programs are available upon request.

The Millennium Carillon, a unique musical instrument consisting of 72 bells, is one of only four Grand Carillons in the world. Enjoy carillonneurs perform during the summer concert series and climb 253 steps to the observation area to marvel at the views.

Enjoy a culinary and cultural walking experience through Naperville's historic neighborhood. One delicious taste at a time! Sample some great food and drink tastings from family run restaurants and shops. Along the way you will discover beautiful downtown Naperville, the Riverwalk and fun facts on the rich history that makes Naperville amazing.

DuPage County, Chicago's Western Suburbs - The National Shrine of St. Therese sits peacefully on a 50-acre estate owned and operated by the Carmelites. The Shrine is home to the most wonderful collection of relics, personal effects and memorabilia of Therese, "the little flower," outside of France. Religious shop/bookstore.

Stop by the Visitors Center for an audio walking tour, maps, books, souvenirs and unique gifts. Tickets are available for Hemingway's Birthplace Home and Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple, Historic Pleasant Home and the Historical Society of Oak Park & River Forest.

Restored, One-room schoolhouse serves as living museum. Open June to early September. Groups welcome by appointment. They actually sit at desks in the one room schoolhouse while a docent explains how teaching was done in 1872. They also participate in playing the games the students played during their recess periods.

Pleasant Home is an architectural gem that showcases 19th century craftsmanship and artistry. Designed in 1897 by prominent architect George W. Maher, the home is a National Historic Landmark and the only Maher building open to the public as a museum. You and your guests will be surrounded by rich custom woodwork, extraordinary art glass windows, intricate woodcarvings, and the glowing warmth of light from another era. The Pleasant Home's 1st floor includes of the Great Hall, Living and Dining Rooms and enclosed circular porch. The front porch is a great addition to the 1st floor during warmer weather. It is perfect for wedding ceremonies, smaller banquets or cocktail parties. The Library is slightly off the beaten path, but is a great place for a buffet station for a cocktail reception. It is also perfect for small lectures of meetings that do not require the use of the whole house.

Tour the oldest remaining structure in the village. The home was originally owned by Montgomery’s founder, Daniel Gray. A museum offers an educational history of the Village of Montgomery. Open 2nd Tuesday and 3rd Sunday of each month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. May-October.